


After The Madness

by SallyRose



Category: Melrose Place (1992)
Genre: Drama, Gen, Missing Scenes, season 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-30
Updated: 2015-10-16
Packaged: 2017-12-30 22:58:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1024393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SallyRose/pseuds/SallyRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happened after Michael took Jo, Amanda and Sydney back to the beach house to spend the night post-bombing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Michael's Invitation

Both Michael and Peter were moving around with a purpose, getting medical care for those who needed it. Peter has Jo x-rayed and waits on her results, then tells her she has no breaks or fractures so she’s cleared for check out. He instructs her on for home care and asks Michael to wheel her out. Jo returns Peter’s jacket back to him that he had thrown over her and thanks him for the small gesture. Peter then leaves to go do something else.

As Michael wheels Jo out to where the others have been waiting; he clears his throat before he begins to speak, “Uh, since the building looks to be unlivable for a bit, why don’t you stay at the beach house?”

 Jo turns her head to look at him and Michael quickly gives an explanation that she would accept.

“It’s not safe to go back there, right now. Unstable infrastructure or something. Look, I know I’m the last person you would want to be around, but at least I can offer a safe place until you can go back home.”

Jo opens her mouth to form an answer, but Michael quickly interrupts again, “I would like to apologize. Well, for uh, the whole mess over your baby and how that blew up.” Michael winces at what he just said, while Jo continues to patiently listen to him as they move down the hospital corridor.

“Sorry, wrong choice of words. I mean, I didn’t realize just how crazy Kimberly was and I got sucked into it. Kimberly won’t hurt any of us since she’s in the psych ward now. So how about it? Just for the night?” Michael gives his best charming smile.

Jo carefully shrugs. “I can handle one night under the same roof, Michael. And thanks for the apology; I know it’s not easy for you to say it,” she replies and returns a smile.

Michael is enlightened with another idea. “Hey, about I ask Amanda and some of the others to come too? That way it will be less awkward.” Jo nods in agreement as they both continue down to where Amanda, Sydney and others are waiting. Michael notices the disappointed look on Peter’s face after he had said something to Amanda.

“What was that about?” asks Michael.

“Amanda just turned down free room and board,” Sydney explains, surprised at Amanda’s negative response towards Peter.

Amanda rolls her eyes. “Please, Sydney. Nothing in this world is free. When are you going to learn that?”

Michael quickly glances down at Jo. “Well, I’ve invited Jo to spend the night at the beach house and you’re both welcome to join us.” Jo nods along.

Amanda looks at him then abruptly turns away. “Forget it!” She says.

“Amanda, come on…” Jo cajoles her.

Sydney looks back at Amanda, drops her magazine and stands up and answers, “We’ve got him outnumbered.” She starts to walk out with Michael and Jo.

Amanda sighs and gets up to catch up with them. “Just one thing: keep your hands to yourself!

Michael acts offended. “Oh believe me. That’s the last thing on my mind-especially with any of you!”

Together they all walk toward the parking lot, not talking a whole lot.

 


	2. Beach House

Michael rolls his car to a stop in front of the beach house garage. He gets out to walk around to the passenger side to assist Jo, who has difficulty getting out because of her injuries. As he helps supports Jo up the walkway, Amanda and Sydney are quietly walking in front, not saying much but both are grateful that they will have a roof over their heads for the night, even if it is Michael Mancini’s roof. He tosses the keys to Sydney; she unlocks the door and makes her way inside. She flips on the hallway lights and starts heading through the main bedroom to use the bathroom.

“Don’t take too long,” Amanda casually comments. Sydney looks back at her and is tempted to make a face, but only shrugs as she closes the door behind her.

Michael help supports Jo’s weight as she walks stiffly to one of the kitchen stools and eases into a sitting posture. He gets out an ice pack for her and she gingerly places the ice pack against her bruised cheek.

Amanda makes her way in and sits in one of the easy chairs. Her long pink formal skirt is smeared with soot, grime and smells like smoke. What she really could use is a hot shower, but she needs a change of clothes first.

“Feel free to raid the fridge. Are you hungry?” Michael asks Jo. She shakes her head, mindful of the ice pack against her face.

He turns towards Amanda to offer her something to eat. “Amanda?”

Amanda was lost in thought about how she would have to meet with a fire inspector as well as the insurance agent to survey the damage to the building. She was not looking forward to it.

“Amanda?” Michael abruptly interrupts her internal thoughts.

She becomes a little irritated and stares at him. Michael gestures towards the fridge, but she shakes her head as well. He shrugs as he walks towards the hallway and starts to go through the linen closet to set up the sleeping arrangements for his guests. He pulls out sheets, covers and pillows and carries them out onto the sofa. Amanda and Jo glance at each other and get up to help pull out the sofa bed.

While Amanda and Jo organize the sofa bed for them to sleep on, Michael goes back into the bedroom to get out of his clothes that had gotten dirtied in the bomb explosion. He hears Sydney finishing up in the shower as the water gets turned off.

“Hey Syd, get out of the bathroom now, I have to use it,” Michael calls out to the closed door.

Sydney pokes her wet head out the door to smirk at his rumpled clothes and the half hearted attempts to get out of them. She picks up her own dirty clothes off the floor as she wraps herself in a terry cloth bathrobe. She shuffles across the floor into the living room and flops down into an armchair, drying her wet hair with another towel. The TV was on, but was put on Mute mode and the three women were quietly watching the images flashing across the screen. They could faintly hear the shower running and tried not think of Michael’s wet, naked body in there.

Michael had brought several pairs of hospital scrubs and offered Amanda and Jo the extra set of clothing, but Amanda wasn’t thrilled at the choice of clothes offered her, so the one pair of scrubs was left untouched on the table. Jo had accepted the other pair of scrubs and walks stiffly into the hallway powder room to change. She turns around so she won’t have to see her bruises in the mirror. She painstakingly removes her own outer layers of clothes to change into the clean, crisp scrubs. She winces at each movement her body makes as she gingerly picks up her scattered clothes, folds them up in a pile and places them across the sink’s countertop. She glances carefully into the mirror, scrutinizing at her split lip, cuts and the bruises that mar her face, making her wince. She mentally chastises herself for getting involved in another bad relationship. Was she really that weak or so lonely that she ignores her own self-preservation for some love? Even bad, abusive love? Jo wonders if she can repair her relationship with Jake and overcome her own guilt for not being wary of Jess; and for not trusting Jake more after all they have been through together. She did wondered what happened between him and Jess when Jake rushed out to confront his brother.

Jo manages a small smile at the irony of staying under the same roof with Michael. She is grateful that she has a place to crash for the night, even if it is at the beach house, and the passing small reminder of her bitter battle with Kimberly and Michael to get her infant son back. She was safer here than at her own apartment, whatever was left of it. Jo straightens out the new clothes up on her body and grabs her old clothes. She quickly shuts off the light as she exits and makes her way back to where Amanda and Sydney are sitting as they watch the TV, placing her folded up clothes on one of the stools and picks up the ice pack she had been using.

Michael has come out of the master bedroom, showered and has changed into new clothes. He nods towards Jo, wearing the scrubs he had brought along and makes his way into the kitchen. He prepares himself a light snack, and needs to make a few phone calls to Wilshire Memorial and then to bed for an early start the next morning. It was going to be a long day at the hospital tomorrow. He muses over his strange new partnership with Peter Burns and Kimberly’s mad bombing as the tide of new events. Michael is not exactly surprised at Kimberly’s actions tonight. She had been unstable since her return. He should have known she was out for revenge and he was first on her list. At least Sydney and Amanda weren’t as insane. Sydney could be a trouble-maker but harmless. Amanda had too much class to stoop to insanity. At least Kimberly was now where she belonged.

Sydney has made herself comfortable in one of the arm chairs while munching on a snack, while Jo and Amanda share the sofa bed together. Amanda is sitting at the edge, holding the channel changer in her hand, randomly changing the TV channels as something to distract her mind. Jo is sitting back against the sofa bed, with her legs carefully tucked up against her chest, her arms wrapped around them, with an ice pack in one hand, occasionally pressing it against her face as she watches Amanda’s random search with the TV remote.

Sydney sighs aloud at Amanda’s control of the TV as she turns towards her.

“Why don’t you just find a late night movie or something? This is a waste of time just flipping the channels!”

Amanda glares at her and responds, “Because I feel like it.”

Sydney is emboldened by Amanda’s challenging words by retorting, “Well, then, let me have the damn thing!” She holds out her hand to grab the TV remote.

Amanda’s grip tightens on the remote and is about to give Jane’s obnoxious little sister a few choice words when Michael makes a clattering noise from the kitchen, making them all jump a little. Sydney decides to use this moment to snatch the remote from Amanda to change the channel. Amanda swears under her breath but backs off as Sydney flips to a channel she wants to watch.

“There’s this movie I want to see,” She says defiantly, flipping back her damp hair.

Amanda rolls her eyes. “Oh, is it about a rich doctor and a hooker that fall in love?” She sarcastically asks Sydney.

Sydney is tempted to say something equally sarcastic, but chooses to say nothing and switches off the Mute button. Jo has been quietly observing the verbal exchange between them with some amusement but wisely says nothing. Sydney, Amanda and Jo all watch the movie in silence.

Michael moves restlessly around the house, getting ready for tomorrow. He gently taps Jo on the shoulder and hands her a couple of Tylenol PM capsules. She takes them and Michael hands her a glass of water to swallow the pills down with. Jo acquiesces then she hands the empty water glass back to Michael.

“Sorry I don’t have anything stronger to give you, but this will help you get some sleep,” he states.

Jo shrugs and simply comments, “It’s better than nothing at all.” She had actually refused heavier pain killers back at Wilshire. She gives Michael a thankful smile and he nods as he moves in and out of the kitchen. Jo turns back to watching Sydney’s choice of movie.

A commercial break comes on, then a quick update on local news.

Sydney squeals out loud, “Oh my god! Michael, come here quick! They’re showing the apartment building!”

Michael comes blundering half awake into the living room at the sound of Sydney’s voice and stumbles into a chair.

“What?” He mumbles. He’d rather be asleep in his own bed right now.

“Take a look! There’s our building!” Sydney was bouncing up and down on the edge of her seat, as she increases the volume of the TV.

A woman reporter with a big hairdo and a lot of makeup was at the scene, standing in front of the yellow tape that the firemen had put up around the building as she gripped her microphone tightly to her mouth.

“Earlier this evening, an explosion happened at the 4616 Melrose apartment building, creating a terrible shockwave throughout the neighborhood. This accident is still yet being determined…”

“Accident, my ass!” Michael argues back at the TV.

“And then at least three more explosions followed and took out half of the building. According to the experts-” The reporter looks down at her notes.

“Experts?!” Sydney spat out.

“That this apartment building is old and in need of major repairs,” as the reporter continues on.

“Probably why Amanda raises the rent so much,” Jo quips. Sydney barely suppresses a giggle, while Amanda quickly glances at Jo, then back at the TV.

“Authorities are not commenting on the possible cause of this catastrophe, but mentioned there were no known individuals trapped inside of the building at the time of the explosion.” The reporter also mentions how the surrounding buildings had received minor damage from the explosion and debris.

“Alison was inside, you stupid bitch,” Jo hisses back. Alison was lucky. If it hadn’t been for Billy’s quick actions to run inside to rescue Alison…Jo didn’t want to think of what could have happened to her friend.

Sydney rolls her eyes at the stupidity level of the local news. Michael briefly pinches his nose between his eyes to focus as he watches the news camera pan what damage could be seen from the street. The firemen had gotten all the fires under control and gutted. They continued to clear the area and clean the debris away, constantly moving in and out of the apartment complex. The arrogant reporter continues her monologue about the disaster, treating it as if it were pure professional journalism. She even dared to stick her microphone into gawking peoples’ faces to ask blanket questions as they watched the firemen work. Amanda felt like punching the reporter in the face.

Sydney thankfully mutes the TV and places the remote on the lamp table beside her. A collective sigh was heard in the beach house. Amanda rubbed at her temples. Tomorrow was not going to be an easy day for her. Amanda then gets up and walks briskly towards the bedroom. Michael opens his mouth to say something, but Amanda silences him with a sharp look. Michael shuts his mouth again. He wisely decides to let Amanda occupy the bedroom until she was finished.

Michael begins to feel drowsy and fights the fatigue to keep from falling asleep in a sitting position as he tries to watch the muted TV screen. Sydney, on the other hand, is restless and goes to the kitchen to take the blender out, along with assorted fruits and some ice cream and milk to make a late night shake snack. The buzzing sound of the blender wakes Michael up and gives him a slight headache. Jo is getting drowsy, from the Tylenol PM she took, combined with the sound of the ocean outside. She slips underneath the separate covers that she and Amanda had divided up and gently curls up to one side. She props up some the pillows to support her aching back. Jo closes her eyes to let sleep overtake her, becoming oblivious to the activity around her.

Sydney sips on her late-night fruit shake, adding a dollop of liqueur she gets from one of the cabinets. In her thoughts as she snacks, she hopes that Kimberly will be locked away forever for her crazy stunt she pulled tonight. Then she would really celebrate her survival status. She quickly finishes her snack to ready to sleep. She walks back to the armchair she had been sitting in and turns off the TV, no longer caring about the movie she had been watching. She runs her fingers through her hair, which was almost dry. She shifts her position on the chair and shrugs off her bathrobe, quickly fastening on a shirt she had snagged from Michael’s closet. She buttons the shirt up, leaving several top buttons undone and leans back against the cushion. Sydney glances at Jo’s sleeping form, wishing she could crash easily like that, especially after being shell-shocked from Kimberly’s bombs. The Tylenol PM that Michael gave Jo probably helped a lot too. Michael was pretending to busy himself with some files from his briefcase, but it was obvious that he couldn’t concentrate on the paragraph he was skimming over. He finally gives up, tossing the files back into the briefcase onto the table.

Meanwhile, Amanda was pacing around in the dim bedroom, only stopping to turn on another lamp as she thought out her plans then she made some phone calls. She would go down to D&D tomorrow and get her clothes from there. Amanda wisely kept a change of clothes in her office cabinets. She also had an extra shoulder bag with a pair of keys to her car, apartment and the office. She also had extra credit cards so she would be able to make necessary living expenses. She kept these things in her office as a precaution, but never realizing she would have to use them after surviving a bomb. Amanda’s mind was still turning over what Kimberly did. She criticized herself for not seeing it sooner. She actually had the gall to trust that woman and be a part of her insane plan. Amanda inwardly sighs, stretching her stiff muscles. She had learned from Billy during their wait at the hospital that Alison was still in the trauma room, being attended for her injuries. Alison had been in her apartment when the explosions hit, which had caused her blindness. Amanda felt bad for Alison’s dilemma and made a mental note that she would visit her with a peace offering. What surprised Amanda is that Billy felt bad for his dispossessed friends and planned on staying nearby to help, temporarily canceling his honeymoon with Brooke. She also learned from Sydney, during some brief chit chat while waiting, that Jane was going to stay with her new lover, Richard Hart. Richard had suffered a loss in the explosion; his ex-wife and business partner MacKenzie Hart died, due to a fatal heart attack. Sydney remarked how cold and unlike it was of Jane to spend the night at her lover’s house while his ex was still above ground. Amanda paces a little more in the quiet bedroom, remembering the gall of Peter Burns offering her a nightcap at his place. The nerve of that man, after all he put her through and yet he still thinks they will hook up again. It didn’t help at all, seeing him cozying up with Kimberly at the lawsuit hearing. She was furious with herself for even feeling a small twinge of emotion for Peter, even after all this time. He still knew how to get under her skin. That would not happen again, she vowed to herself.

She removes her formal jacket off, making a futile attempt to clean it. No amount of dry cleaning would be able to erase the damage or the memories of this night. She gently folds up her jacket and walks back out to the living room. Michael saw this as his cue and gets up quickly to reclaim his bedroom. Sydney quickly follows him, much to Michael’s annoyance and he remarks about reminding her in keeping her hands to herself. Sydney retorts with a snarky reply that she didn’t promise such a thing.

Amanda drapes her jacket over one of the kitchen stools and directs herself back to the sofa bed. She slips off her shoes, eases herself into her side of the bed and arranges the covers to her liking. Her blonde hair spreads across the pillows like a fan, as she positions her body into a comfortable mode. Michael or Sydney had closed the window blinds, securing the beach house for the night. Amanda switches off a nearby lamp, then she closes her eyes to drift into an uneasy sleep.


	3. Bad Dreams

Bad dreams were plaguing everyone in their sleep.

Michael finds himself running and turning around corners in a dark hospital maze. He would look over his shoulder, hearing footsteps pounding behind him.

Then Kimberly’s voice would echo out from the darkness, _“You can run, Michael, but you can’t hide! I will find yooou!”_

Michael keeps on running, trying to find an exit, find a way out of this maze as Kimberly calls out from the dark that she will find him and take him down into the darkness with her. He finally finds an elevator and frantically taps the button to open it only to find Kimberly standing inside it. Kimberly is wearing blood-stained doctor scrubs with her hair tied back. She grins at him then slowly pulls out an axe and swings it at him. He ducks and runs back to where the direction he came from, with Kimberly hot on his trail, laughing manically. He turns around a corner and sees the exit then starts running for it, when out of the far corner of another dark hallway Kimberly steps out, raises the axe as Michael remains frozen in place and he begins to scream as the axe comes hurtling down…

Sydney whimpers as she dreams. She’s back in the laundry basement again, tied up. She knows Kimberly is around and is trying to free herself before that crazy bitch comes back. Sydney works the knots but can’t undo them. Kimberly appears out of a corner and approaches her. She is holding up the blowtorch and kneels before Sydney.

Kimberly starts to taunt her with it and sneers at her _. “What’s the matter, Syd? Are those knots too tight? Are your hands going numb? I can fix it. In fact, I can fix your face as well,” s_ he says menacingly. Kimberly violently grabs Sydney by the neck and switches on the blowtorch.

The flame comes closer and closer. Sydney begins to scream as the flame begins to touch her face and can feel her skin blister and burn, but she can’t get away as Kimberly’s laughing echoes around her…

Amanda twists in her sleep. She’s running up the stairs, frantically trying to get away from her pursuer but it’s not Kimberly. She can hear him yell at her from behind her. Jack Parezi has murder in his eyes as he chases her.

Jack is snarling at her. _“Come back here, bitch! It will only hurt much worse if you don’t!”_

Amanda keeps running, her breath ragged as she tries to find a place to hide. Jack continues to yell insults at her, threatening to break every bone in her body and she knows he means it. She must escape. She runs into a room, frantically finding a place to hide. She sees the window and climbs up onto it, opening it then glances down at the ground that stretches down. She hears Jack trying to break down the door when he finally gets inside after a few hard blows and starts to approach her, his face dark with anger. Amanda turns to leap out the window, screaming the way down into the darkness…

Jo tosses restlessly as she dreams. She’s back in her apartment, only its different, almost a surreal version of it. She doesn’t want to go into the bathroom; it’s too dark because she knows that someone is in there, waiting for her. She needs to get her gun as she makes her way to the darkened and forbidding bathroom. She cracks the door open then pulls the cabinet door open to retrieve her gun, when a mutilated hand shoots out, grabbing her wrist and pulling on it. Jo lets out a hoarse shriek and tries to pull free, while the monster that has a hold on her wrist comes crawling out. It’s Kimberly and Jess blended together and the face is a bloody, ruined mess. The Kim-Jess thing opens its mouth and black fluid pours out, making a hissing sound on the carpet. It locks its empty eyes on her.

 _“Come Jo….into the darkness with us….we have your baby…”_ Kim-Jess hybrid growls out at her.

The Kim-Jess thing suddenly leaps at her and Jo tries to scream as she begins to retreat by crawling backwards; she frantically grabs the door handle, unlocking the deadbolt then tries to escape through it. She’s about part way out when the Kim-Jess thing grabs her ankle with a clawed hand and pulls hard…


	4. Morning After

The alarm buzzes Michael awake and he hits the OFF switch. His vision is slightly blurry as he makes way to the bathroom. He looks in the mirror and notices he did not sleep well at all during the night. The nightmares that he had were responsible for the dark coloring under his eyes. Michael makes attempts to look more presentable as he hears Sydney move about in the bedroom. As he walks back out into the bedroom he greets her half-heartedly.

“Mornin’, Syd. Slept well?” He asks as he passes her.

Sydney grumbles as she heads into the bathroom to wash up, “Yeah, yeah…morning to you too.” Then she slams the door.

Michael hardly raises an eyebrow. “Sheesh. Talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed.” He gets dressed before walking out into the kitchen.

Amanda and Jo are already up and have started the coffee maker. They don’t look as if they had a good night of rest either but try to fake it. Michael goes into the kitchen to take out cups and plates and offers options for breakfast. As Michael, Amanda and Jo prepare their coffee in silence; Sydney comes into the room and switches on the TV, turning up the volume as she begins to make her own breakfast. Michael winces at the loud blaring of the TV, Amanda looks annoyed and Jo tries to ignore it. Not much conversation between the four of them except for niceties such as passing the butter or condiments for their food and coffee.

Michael tries to break the awkward silence. He looks around at them. “So, uh, did any of you dream last night? Have any bad dreams?” The three women stare back at him.

“I don’t dream,” Amanda scoffs.

Jo shakes her head. “I couldn’t remember if I had any dreams.”

Sydney is looking down at her coffee. “Nothing but _sweet_ dreams for me.”

Michael straightens up and goes about finishing his breakfast. “Yeah, sure, me too. I was just asking.”

Amanda clears her throat, “Since half of the apartment looks to be unlivable for awhile, I have decided that to be fair, I will let all of the tenants live rent free until the building is restored.”

Sydney and Jo look at her in surprise. Michael is surprised too and wonders where the hell that generosity came from.

Jo clears her throat, “Amanda, that’s very generous of you.”

Sydney is munching on a bagel with cream cheese. “Yeah, but where are you going to live in the meantime?”

Amanda glances at her. “I was thinking of staying at a hotel. Now if you’ll excuse me…” She heads to the hallway powder room.

After breakfast, the group begins to clean up. Amanda and Jo pull the covers off the sofa bed to throw them into the laundry washer. The sofa bed is flipped back into regular position and the beach house soon looked like it had no overnight visitors. Jo changes back into her old clothes and tosses the scrubs into the laundry.

Michael drives Jo, Amanda and Sydney back to the building on his way to Wilshire. Luckily there were no nosey reporters around so they could walk to the building without harassment. The building was sectioned off and from the street it didn’t look like there was much damage except for visible damage on one side of the roof and scorched trees. Amanda rushes out to her car to drive to D&D and then plan to meet with the fire inspector and insurance agent to assess the building damage later.

Both Jo and Sydney are side by side not saying much as they walk up towards the entrance.

“It was quite unexpected of Michael to invite us to sleep at the beach house and then to have Amanda announce she’ll let us live here rent free until repairs are done,” Jo mentions while trying to break the awkward silence.

“Yeah, are we sure that was Amanda of all people?” Sydney replies back, not minding the casual chatter Jo was giving out.

Jo carefully shrugs, still sore from her injuries. “I guess even people like Amanda can have an ounce of compassion in a crisis.” Sydney just smiles.

They walk through the gate and past the mailboxes when they both stop in their tracks and stare. Both are stunned at the devastation. Half the building had been burned, just leaving the remaining physical structure. The exterior of the less damaged area was heavily scorched, most of the debris removed and the windows boarded up. The pool was polluted with leftover debris and the water had turned black. Jo and Sydney look at each other, mirroring their shock and then walked up to their respective apartments, hoping the damage was not as bad inside as it was outside. Both of their apartments were a little sooty and smelled like smoke, the windows were boarded up until the glass could be replaced, but otherwise was still intact. Items and furniture were knocked out of place but otherwise undamaged. It was almost livable. Except that there was temporarily no hot water. Jo and Sydney step out to glance at the surrounding damage then at each other.

Jo is about to turn back into her apartment when she says, “I guess it’s a cold shower for me. Take care, Sydney.” She walks back inside.

Sydney is still dazed at the damage, replies back before entering her apartment, “Yeah, take care, Jo.”

They both shut their doors.

**XXX.**


End file.
